Posts Tagged ‘WERA’

Kennesaw, Georgia, (September 12, 2010) – At Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park Team Zyvax’s R1 and R6 efforts gained enough of a lead over the rest of the WERA endurance field that they are guaranteed two championships. At the final round in Atlanta the Overall will come down to one of the two Zyvax bikes.
Heading into the Barber round the two Zyvax bikes were on a level playing field. Barber’s shorter straights and technical turns made the smaller, more agile bike able to keep up with the stronger, bigger machine. Both bikes were flawless going into the race and both got out in front quickly. But fifteen laps in the seat came loose on Dane Westby and Clinton Seller’s Team Zyvax / Graves supported Yamaha R6 and they had to come in for an unscheduled pit stop. Despite the setback, Westby and Seller battled hard and came out with the class win.

Seller was relieved and happy after the win. “The traffic made this race very challenging. At the same time, it made the race very exciting! It was a lot of fun finding different ways to pass other riders. It was unfortunate that the seat came lose because we would have had a better chance to win the overall,” said Seller of the race.

In addition to the loose seat Seller, Westby and the rest of the endurance riders had to suffer through thick southern heat. “It was hot!” said Westby of the four hour race, “The stints seemed to roll together but I am glad to have this win and this championship. We fought our battles hard and won the war. The bike was flawless, save for the seat issue, which unfortunately cost us some time. The clouds moved into the area just as we finished, cooling us off, and giving a fitting end to a hot war.”

Chris Clark and guest rider Jason Disalvo, their crew and their Team Zyvax / Graves prepped Yamaha R1 were the stars of the Barber endurance round. Consistent fast laps and hard work paid off for Clark and Disalvo. Both riders had no easy task harnessing the big bike’s power on a track better suited for the smaller bike.

“This track is very technical which makes it very demanding on a 1000cc. It is hard to keep the fast lap times for the whole hour,” said Disalvo of the bike. “This is the most rewarding win with Team Zyvax because of how hard the race was.”

“This was the toughest race yet,” commented Clark, “The track had good slip for as hot as it was. This track is hard to ride on a 1000. Thanks to Chuck Graves and team owner JB Layman for the opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to the GNF.”

Event Photos can be found in the Graves Motorsports Galleries: http://www.gravesport.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=887

Kennesaw, Georgia, August 6, 2010 – After taking first and second last weekend at Summit Point, Team Zyvax had high expectations heading into VIR’s WERA Cycle Jam 4-Hour endurance race. Battling the oppressive heat and a mid-race crash, the team and their machines logged a hard fought class win and a decisive overall win.

Despite an early race high side and crash-truck ride to the paddock, Clinton Seller and Dane Westby on their Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports supported Yamaha R6 mounted a massive comeback, finishing only ten laps down from the overall winner. The lightning fast and always ready Team Zyvax crew took less time to repair the bike than track workers took to load and transport the bike back to the pits! Undaunted by the eleven lap deficit accumulated after the crash, the Zyvax R6 riders were able to hunt down the rest of their class and win the mediumweight division. Before Seller’s unfortunate high side-inducing missed shift, the quick little R6 was leading the entire race.

The heat proved to be a major hurdle for the team. Though the track offered good grip in the morning, as the day got hotter the track got more and more slippery. Still healing from recent surgery on his injured thumb, team rider Ben Bostrom managed to ride for an hour long stint. Due to the heat Bostrom lost four pounds of body water while on the bike! During the race Bostrom made the most of the slippery track; “It was a lot of fun, it felt like a fire road. I was spinning the tire everywhere.” Guest rider Jason Disalvo covered Bostrom’s second stint. “The heat was incredible,” said Disalvo of the steamy race day. Team rider Chris Clark ran first and last giving him the most time to cool off between runs.

Clark, Bostrom and Disalvo muscled past the competition to take the Overall win aboard their powerful Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports prepped Yamaha R1, finishing an impressive four laps ahead of second place. The Zyvax R1 team set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:27.4, over a second faster than the fastest lap time from last year. Both Zyvax / Graves teams were the only ones to go below 1 minute 30 second lap times, again proving Yamaha’s dominance over the competition.

Team Zyvax is sponsored by Zyvax, Inc., Graves Motorsports and Dunlop. Check out www.teamzyvax.com for team news and details.

Kennesaw, Georgia, (August 4, 2010) – Team Zyvax is looking forward to the WERA Cycle Jam 4 Hour endurance race at VIR, near Danville, VA this weekend. The entire team is excited to endure the racing against each other and the competition! With the drama of a shortened race and a leveled playing field, it’s anyone’s game!

The flowing VIR track plays to the strengths of both Team Zyvax race machines. Chris Clark and returning guest rider Jason Disalvo’s Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports prepped Yamaha R1 can really stretch it’s powerful legs on VIR’s long front straight but Clinton Seller and Dane Westby’s Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports supported Yamaha R6 will be lightning quick through the track’s technical sections. The win will come down to whichever team has the fastest, most consistent laps and the fastest, most precise pit stops.

The Cycle Jam weekend’s packed racing schedule leaves less time for the endurance riders to battle, putting more pressure on the Team Zyvax riders to achieve and maintain the lead. Fewer race hours also means less time to fix any issues that may arise during the race. Team Zyvax owner JB Layman expects top results from his riders and crew but he knows it’s going to be a dog fight ’til the end. “With the variations in this track and past rider results, there are no bets on which bike will take the victory,” stated Layman, “We’re expecting to see some new, talented teams this round which will make things all the more interesting.”

Team Zyvax would like to thank Jason Disalvo for stepping in to ride for Ben Bostrom at the WERA Cycle Jam weekend. The team looks forward to Ben’s return once he recovers from a thumb injury.

Kennesaw, Georgia, (August 1, 2010) – Team Zyvax riders dominated the entire six hours of the Summit Point WERA Endurance race. The Team Zyvax R1 effort led the entire race and the second place Team Zyvax R6 effort defeated the rest of the field by ten laps! And the icing on the cake; all top five overall finishers were on Yamahas.

A fast bike, a perfectly suited racetrack and a bit of luck helped team rider Chris Clark and guest rider Jason Disalvo astride their Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports prepped Yamaha R1 outrun the competition. The riders put in consistent, flawless laps and their uncatchable R1 proved its dominance. “We led from start to finish and didn’t see any deer,” said Clark of the race and the track’s recent proclivity for wildlife visitors, “Not a bad day!”

The track may have been better suited for the liter bikes but the Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports supported R6, with team riders Dane Westby and Clinton Sellers in the irons, gave the R1 a run for its money. An unfortunate oil spill through the tighter sections of the track robbed the smaller bike of its opportunity to really shine where it performs best. Even without the speed advantage through the tighter areas, the Graves spec R6 came in only one lap down from the team’s R1. “The R6 team put in an unbelievable effort to stay so close to the R1 on that track!” exclaimed ecstatic team owner JB Layman.

After tasting first at Grattan and finishing so close to the bigger bike at Summit Point, Westby and Sellers are hungrier than ever for another win. “We’ll be ready to pounce on the opportunity to win at VIR,” said a very determined Dane Westby. Next weekend at VIR the Team Zyvax riders and crew look to further their points lead and lay down some more fast laps.

Team Zyvax would like to thank Perry Melnecuic of Project 1 Atlanta for stepping in as our axle man this weekend.

Kennesaw, Georgia, July 6, 2010 – Team Zyvax created their own fireworks on the track during the 4th of July WERA Endurance weekend races at Grattan Raceway in Belding, MI. Despite the big power of the team’s Yamaha R1, the little brother Yamaha R6 stood out as the champion in all out lap times during the shortened endurance race.

Perfect weather and perfectly prepped bikes and riders could not outweigh the less than perfect track conditions at Grattan Raceway last weekend. Track surface issues and resulting clean-up efforts caused cancelled practices on Friday and a shortened endurance race on Saturday.

Taking it all in stride, guest rider Jason Disalvo with team riders Dane Westby and Clinton Seller put in careful but lightning quick laps on their Team Zyvax / Graves Motorsports prepped Yamaha R6. With the help of his uncatchable R6, Westby bought his team an early thirty-seven second lead and set the pace with the fastest lap time of the race. Despite poor track conditions, Westby was a full second quicker than the fastest lap of the same race in 2009 set by Tray Batey.

“I just went crazy from the beginning; flying off the jump, landing at the apex and flicking it in,” said Westby after his first stint, referencing the famous Grattan Jump. He also commented on the track saying, “It was getting better each lap. Turn three was okay if you stayed way inside and turn two is still a little sketchy.”

Ben Bostrom and Chris Clark astride their Graves Motorsports prepped / Team Zyvax Yamaha R1 had their work cut out for them. Both Zyvax R1 riders were new to Grattan Raceway and they too were forced to deal with the loss of track time. Even more challenging was hooking up the more powerful R1. Bostrom and Clark had to adapt to track conditions and work hard to get horsepower to the track. “The R6 has loads of grip!” said a slightly envious Bostrom at the end of his first stint, “Dane just left me! But I was having so much fun learning each hole on the track. It got more exciting every lap.”

Former AMA Champion Kurtis Roberts’ scheduled guest ride with Bostrom and Clark was shelved by the shortened race, forcing the team to adjust their race strategy. Unfortunately the adjusted strategy left Roberts without a stint in the race.

Team Zyvax marked the halfway point of the season at Grattan by solidifying the first place championship positions of both the R1 and the R6 in their respective classes. In overall championship points the Zyvax Teams are first and second with the R1 holding a narrow four point spread over the R6.

“What a race!” exclaimed ecstatic team owner JB Layman, “The little R6 finished on top over the big R1. The riders adapted to the changing track conditions and were able to get the most out of the bikes. This is our team’s best performance so far.”

Team Zyvax is sponsored by Zyvax, Inc., Graves Motorsports and Dunlop. Check out www.teamzyvax.com for team news and details.

(April 9-11, 2010) From the challenging 1.4 mile Talladega Gran Prix in Alabama WERA welcomed the 2010 Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance and the 2010 Michelin/WERA National Sprints. Mother Nature decided that she was happy the series was coming and gave us some of the most wonderful weather we have seen all year. The riders felt all the good vibes and the ambulance never left its parking spot all three days!

On Friday qualifying for the 600cc WERA Superstock Class saw the young riders put down some great times. At the end of the session Garrett Gerloff with a 57.98; next came Graves Motorsports’ Benny Solis, Jr. with a 58.05, then James Dellinger with a 58.88 and Hayden Gillim with a 58.97 the rest of the field was in the high 59s and it looked to be a good race on Sunday.

Saturday the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance took to the technical track for four hours of non-stop racing. The #7 Zyvax Team on their Graves Motorsports supported Yamaha R6 with riders Dane Westby and Clinton Seller took the win over team mates Ben Bostrom and Chris Clark on their Zyvax #3 Graves Motorsports supported Yamaha R1. Third on the podium was the Hooters/Apex Racing team on their Suzuki 1000 with Tim Hunt, Opie Caylor and Skip Salenius on board. The Lightweight Superbike win went to #27 Team Kinetic on their Suzuki SV650 with riders Chris Parrish, Rob Turner, Mike Wischmeyer and Gill Cutchen. The trophy class was won by #888 V7 All Stars on their Honda 600 with riders Ken Johnson, Scott Lindsay and Barry Pailes.

The action continued in the 600cc Superstock Class with an epic battle between the young guns of JD Beach, Garrett Gerloff, Graves Motorsports 15 year old rider Benny Solis, Jr., Jimmy Merck, Jake Morman, Hayden Gillim, Payton Sassaman and the rest of the field. Beach held the lead for the 16 lap race with Solis and Gerloff right on his tail section. In a last lap attempt to pass the leader Solis and Beach touched and Solis went down. Beach was able to recoup and get back on the track to take the win at the line from Gerloff who sat in the cat bird seat. Solis was fine and would compete later in the day. Gerloff came back to take his win in the 600 Superbike Class with Merck and Solis, Jr. rounding out the podium.

To see all the results from this weekend?s events go to www.wera.com and to see the action register at Motoconnect.net and then watch Motoconnect.tv next week to see all this great action.

Round #3 will be May 22/23 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. Miller Motorsports Park will host the Friday practice for this round. Graves Motorsports will be on hand for this and all WERA events in 2010. See Graves Motorsports WORKS parts technician Weston Gleave trackside at each event supporting riders that use Graves Motorsports championship winning Yamaha R1, Yamaha R6 parts and accessories. For more information on Team Zyvax visitwww.zyvaxracing.com . To view the entire assortment of Graves Motorsports championship winning sport bike parts visit www.gravesport.com